Barack Obama entered national politics with a smile that looked like Hope and Change. Amid rumors of family discord and disarray within the political party he once led, his face has hardened. He lately looks bitter, resentful, exhausted by the act.
In the wake of reports released by fellow Hawaiian and former Democrat Tulsi Gabbard, he also has a new problem. It once seemed a lock that Obama would be remembered as the winsome hero of Shepard Fairey’s portrait, but Gabbard’s documents place him at the center of an unprecedented act of political sabotage, committed in his last Oval Office days as a humiliated lame-duck in the winter of 2016-2017. The new Director of National Intelligence is targeting Obama’s legacy and maybe even his freedom, detailing a “treasonous conspiracy committed by officials at the highest level of our government,” announcing that everyone involved “must be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Ten days ago, news broke that Donald Trump’s Justice Department opened criminal investigations into two of Obama’s top deputies, former FBI chief James Comey and former CIA head John Brennan. Last Sunday, Gabbard’s ODNI hosted an “urgent” meeting to discuss “new information on Russiagate” with members of the Justice Department and the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board.
All week, Washington buzzed with rumors about imminent document releases, but what came out wasn’t what many expected. Gabbard’s documents show the Obama White House overruling months of reports downplaying Russian interference and ordering subordinates to set a time bomb of manipulated intelligence, with the aim of trying to, as Gabbard described it, “usurp” an incoming president. No longer a tertiary character, Obama is now “center square” in the Russiagate scam, as one source put it.
Mainstream press outlets like the New York Times and Politico have already run pieces quoting Democratic Party mouthpieces shrugging off Gabbard’s reports as “baseless” and an attempt to “change the subject,” but coverage may not matter, as the investigation into the Trump-Russia hoax is no longer about trying to change hearts and minds. Multiple sources say Gabbard’s team is focused on “accountability” by gathering evidence for court-ready cases. The matter may soon need a special prosecutor, putting Obama in the same position Trump occupied in the first two years of his presidency, on the run from a high-profile fox hunt.
The information from Gabbard’s office was not the only news on the Russiagate front. This investigation is not just about “ten-year-old news,” as has been a common talking point, but may also involve never-reported Biden-era issues. A source close to the investigation said yesterday that the DOJ is focusing on conspiracy charges and looking at conduct “from 2016 to 2024.” Another with ties to the administration said “President Trump’s national security team is looking at evidence that members of his 2024 campaign were spied on as well.”
All of that is yet to be determined. Until then, here’s a detailed review of what yesterday’s releases say, and why they signal a shift toward former president Obama:
The internet is losing its mind over this. Here's Liz Wolfe of Reason on the Wall Street Journal story everyobe is talking about.
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Yesterday, The Wall Street Journal published new revelations about the relationship between financier/pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and President Donald Trump. For Epstein's 50th birthday, his longtime partner Ghislaine Maxwell put together a leather-bound book with notes from his friends. One was allegedly written and signed by Trump.
Trump's entry "contains several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker. A pair of small arcs denotes the woman's breasts, and the future president's signature is a squiggly 'Donald' below her waist, mimicking pubic hair," reports The Wall Street Journal. The text within the naked-lady outline appears to be an imagined conversation between Epstein and Trump. "Voice Over: There must be more to life than having everything," the note begins.
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Donald: Yes, there is, but I won't tell you what it is.
Jeffrey: Nor will I, since I also know what it is.
Donald: We have certain things in common, Jeffrey.
Jeffrey: Yes, we do, come to think of it.
Donald: Enigmas never age, have you noticed that?
Jeffrey: As a matter of fact, it was clear to me the last time I saw you.
Trump: A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday—and may every day be another wonderful secret.[/i]
"This is not me," said Trump. "This is a fake thing. It's a fake [i]Wall Street Journal story. I never wrote a picture in my life. I don't draw pictures of women," he said. "It's not my language. It's not my words."
Epstein has a long track record of sexually abusing young girls. He died in 2019 in jail under circumstances still debated to this day (suicide? Offed by someone who wanted him dead?) after being arrested by the FBI on sex trafficking charges. This was his second round: In 2008, he had pleaded guilty to a state charge of procuring a minor for prostitution and served 18 months; he had received extraordinarily lenient treatment in prison, which sure looked a bit like corruption. His associate/girlfriend, Maxwell, was convicted in 2021 for sex trafficking and conspiracy, helping Epstein procure girls as young as 14 for prostitution.
An outstanding question is how much his rich and famous friends knew about his perversions and horrifying crimes. "I've known Jeff for 15 years," Trump told New York magazine back in 2002. "Terrific guy."
"It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side," said Trump. "No doubt about it—Jeffrey enjoys his social life."
Trump appears all over Epstein's flight logs, indicating he took trips with him on his private jet: Trump's name appears four times in 1993, once in 1994, once in 1995, and once in 1997. One of Epstein's victims said she was recruited by Epstein while at Trump's club, Mar-a-Lago, and that she was "passed around like a platter of fruit" as a teenager to the rich and famous of Palm Beach. (The woman who was abused as a teenager died by suicide earlier this year.)
Trump's base has long been riled up about what the government might be hiding about Epstein, and Trump has at times stoked this, at other times hedged, saying that there might be "phony stuff in there." The Department of Justice and the FBI under Trump have indicated that the uncovered Epstein files don't include evidence that justifies further, deeper investigations into specific linked parties. "The video recordings of child sexual abuse material found by investigators were not videos that Mr. Epstein recorded of crimes by himself or his friends, but material he downloaded," according to Attorney General Pam Bondi, per a New York Times writeup. Phase 1 of the Epstein files release—initially lauded as a Trump administration attempt at transparency—came under lots of heat because a) they were released to various right-wing influencers who don't have great reporting chops, per se, and b) they didn't really contain anything new or of note that wasn't already public.
"I don't understand it—why they would be so interested," Trump said of his base. "He's dead for a long time. He was never a big factor in terms of life. I don't understand what the interest or what the fascination is, I really don't."
Now, following The Wall Street Journal's reporting on the Trump signature-as-pubic-hair story and the "enigmas never age" thing, Trump has threatened to sue the Journal.
"The Wall Street Journal, and Rupert Murdoch, personally, were warned directly by President Donald J. Trump that the supposed letter they printed by President Trump to Epstein was a FAKE and, if they print it, they will be sued. Mr. Murdoch stated that he would take care of it but, obviously, did not have the power to do so. The Editor of The Wall Street Journal, Emma Tucker, was told directly by Karoline Leavitt, and by President Trump, that the letter was a FAKE, but Emma Tucker didn't want to hear that. Instead, they are going with a false, malicious, and defamatory story anyway. President Trump will be suing The Wall Street Journal, NewsCorp, and Mr. Murdoch, shortly," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "The Press has to learn to be truthful, and not rely on sources that probably don't even exist. President Trump has already beaten George Stephanopoulos/ABC, 60 Minutes/CBS, and others, and looks forward to suing and holding accountable the once great Wall Street Journal. It has truly turned out to be a 'Disgusting and Filthy Rag' and, writing defamatory lies like this, shows their desperation to remain relevant. If there were any truth at all on the Epstein Hoax, as it pertains to President Trump, this information would have been revealed by Comey, Brennan, Crooked Hillary, and other Radical Left Lunatics years ago. It certainly would not have sat in a file waiting for 'TRUMP' to have won three Elections. This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS!"
I like that he says "sources that probably don't exist" (emphasis mine). He seems moderately sure that this defense will work, but not completely, like he wants to keep the door open to take another tack if need be. And now, vast swaths of the right wing keep coming to Trump's defense, claiming the Journal—not a particularly left-wing paper, mind you!—fabricated it all.
JUST IN: The Wall Street Journal releases an alleged letter from Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein for Epstein's 50th birthday.
President Trump says the letter "is a fake thing," and says he is going to sue the outlet.
Forgive my language but this story is complete and utter bullshit. The WSJ should be ashamed for publishing it.
Where is this letter? Would you be shocked to learn they never showed it to us before publishing it? Does anyone honestly believe this sounds like Donald Trump? https://t.co/KHsTFOSl34
I don't know what's true or false here, what's being hidden, what the Journal's sourcing is like (though they tend to be pretty careful with their reporting), what is boilerplate bawdiness versus admission of knowledge of Epstein's crimes. I won't claim to. I do find it extremely implausible, though, that you can be friends with someone for decades, and travel with them on their private jet, and have no awareness of their horrifying and perverted sex crimes. Powerful people enabled this man in some form. I can't judge the extent of their knowledge; I shudder at the extent of their soul-rot. Also, it's a little wild that Trump indulged the conspiracy-obsessed wing of his base, and then has now chosen to backpedal and be rather dismissive of them. Will this create political backlash within Trumpworld, or does their loyalty to him run deeper than this?
I've been a subscriber to the Wall Street Journal for decades now. I've always valued their reporting (though I hated it when they stopped printing complete stock listings). Let's just say I find this story "unlikely."
He had ties to Gov. Tim Walz. Don't know if it's related, but Rep. Hortman recently supported repealing healthcare benefits for illegal aliens.
BREAKING: I'm told by a police source in Minnesota the suspect in the shootings of MN state lawmakers is Vance Luther Boelter.
It appears it is the same Boelter who was appointed to the Governor’s Workforce Development Board in 2019 by Gov. Tim Walz. He appointed to the… pic.twitter.com/r1wjWXs2lA
The suspect in the assassinations of former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, as well as the shooting of State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, has reportedly been identified.
“I'm told by a police source in Minnesota the suspect in the shootings of MN state lawmakers is Vance Luther Boelter,” Julio Rosas of The Blaze reports on X. “It appears it is the same Boelter who was appointed to the Governor’s Workforce Development Board in 2019 by Gov. Tim Walz. He appointed to the Governor's Workforce Development Council in 2016 by then-Gov. Mark Dayton.”
According to the AP, "Two people familiar with the matter identified the suspect being sought as 57-year-old Vance Boelter. The people could not publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity."
“Because of the special trust and confidence I have in your integrity, judgment, and ability, I have appointed and commissioned you to have and to hold the office of Business Member [to the] Governor’s Workforce Development Board,” Boelter's notice of appointment reads.
Boelter's term began Dec. 14, 2019, and ended Jan. 2, 2023.
Governor Tim Walz labeled the shooting a “politically motivated assassination,” and authorities recovered a manifesto naming both Democrat and Republican lawmakers as targets. The shooter, dressed as a police officer, struck both homes in the early hours of Saturday morning. The attacks come amid rising political tensions and coincide with the now-canceled “No Kings” protests planned in Minneapolis.
"We’re here today because an unspeakable tragedy has unfolded in Minnesota," Walz said at a press conference on Saturday. "My good friend and colleague Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed earlier this morning in what appears to be a politically motivated assassination."
Meta has blocked the Facebook account linked to Vance Luther Boelter.
Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed the FBI is involved in the ongoing investigation. "I am closely monitoring developments in Minnesota after what appears to be a targeted attack against state lawmakers," she said in a statement. "The FBI is on the ground investigating this case alongside state and local partners. This horrific violence will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
President Trump has also issued a statement.
"I have been briefed on the terrible shooting that took place in Minnesota, which appears to be a targeted attack against State Lawmakers,” Trump said. “Our Attorney General, Pam Bondi, and the FBI, are investigating the situation, and they will be prosecuting anyone involved to the fullest extent of the law. Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America.”
Due to the ongoing waves of strategic airstrikes by Israel against Iranian military, leadership, and nuclear facilities. there is a very high likelihood of cyber attacks by Iranian assets, as well as by other actors aligned with Iran. In the previous 24 hours there have been cyber attacks against nation-state websites and other online services in Europe and the middle-east. Today (Thursday) there were numerous reported disruptions to internet-based communications services (sources being compiled now), with no confirmed cause or responsible parties named.
AmRRON will remain at AmCON 3 until further notice, and we will continuously be monitoring the situation. Additional changes to the AmCON level, and any special instructions or guidance, will be posted here, as well as through the AmRRON member Telegram Channel, the AmRRON Corps Z-Net, and the AmRRON Mobile Team App.
Special instructions:
Inspections and functions checks on communications equipment, backup power supply systems, and all supporting equipment, etc. Replace batteries or charge all batteries, top off fuel supplies Avoid unnecessary travel
In the event of grid down:
Check local radio and television news sources for additional information If local news is offline, tune to local scanner and VHF/UHF (ham) repeaters to ascertain any additional information Tune in to the AmRRON digital HF Persistent Presence Net and monitor while you are producing your initial STATREP Submit your STATREP over HF via Commstat (preferrably), or by FLMSG, or plain text, at your earliest opportunity Tier 4+, Tier 5, and Tier 6 stations collect all available STATREPs and summarize the information for your Initial Event Summary Refer to your Signals Operating Instructions to identify the next scheduled net Follow instructions of NCS and have any traffic (SITREPs if reporting an event with details or narrative) prepared and ready to send NCSs will ask for any Priority (or higher) traffic for the net. Transmit your call sign, state, and the precedence level of your traffic (Example 1 PPP indicates one piece of Priority traffic). NCS will then ask for Routine traffic after Priority or higher traffic is handled. Any changes to the net schedule or additional instructions and guidance will be relayed over the Persistent Presence Nets and scheduled nets. All official traffic from AmRRON National will be authenticated (digitally signed) using the ‘AmRRON Actual’ PGP key, as is standard practice.
The fighting has just begun, but it sure sounds like the victory will very likely go to Israel. They've decapitated the Iranian leadership and the nuclear scientists, and they seem determined to continue the attacks until Iran is no longer a threat. The very fact that Iran hasn't responded yet seems to indicate they are in disarray.
But I'm a trapper, and I know it ain't over until it's over. A rapped coyote won't give up until it's dead,and a trapped raccoon will tear your leg off given half a chance. There's still a lot of fighting to be done, but I just don't see Iran coming out of this with very much power left.
